The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned members of the Gulf drug cartel, revealing their involvement in illegal red snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Operating from Playa Bagdad in Matamoros, Mexico, the cartel uses fishing boats to smuggle drugs and migrants while illegally fishing for commercially valuable species like red snapper and shark. These boats enter U.S. waters, bypassing strict fishing limits, and the catch is sold in Mexico or exported to the U.S.
The U.S. government has responded by banning Mexican fishing vessels from U.S. Gulf ports since 2022 due to insufficient Mexican enforcement against illegal fishing. The issue extends to harm caused by prohibited fishing methods, such as long lines, which affect other marine life. This is not the first case of cartel involvement in illegal fishing, as other Mexican cartels have exploited endangered species like the vaquita marina. Sanctions target Gulf cartel leaders and fishing camp owners, aiming to curb this multimillion-dollar trade.